Findmypast Announces Online Release of Over Six Million Ontario Records in First Phase of New Partnership with the Ontario Genealogical Society

Leading family history website Findmypast has just announced an exciting new partnership with the Ontario Genealogical Society. Announced today at the Society’s 2017 annual conference in Ottawa, the partnership will see Findmypast publish millions of OGS records online in a series of phased releases. The first phase will be launched later this year with the online publication of over six million fascinating Ontario records, including;

The Ontario Name Index (TONI) – over 3.7 million records – a mega-index of names with the goal of including every name found in any publication relating to Ontario, ranging from registers of birth, marriage & death to obituaries, memorial inscriptions, newspaper articles and more.

The Ontario Genealogical Society Provincial Index (OGSPI) – over 2.6 million records – containing data from censuses, birth, marriage and death registers, references in books, land records, passenger lists, military records and a host of other references.

Oddfellows Life Insurance Applications (1875-1929) – over 240,000 names released online for the very first time, containing a collection of just over 59,000 life insurance applications to the Odd-Fellows’ Relief Association of Canada. The applications contain answers to up to thirty-one questions about sex, age, occupation, height, weight, ethnic origins, marital status, family structure, and past and present health conditions.

Ontario Genealogical Society Bulletin/Families and NewsLeaf – new images from official society publications and journals will become available to search through Findmypast’sPeriodical Source Index (PERSI) – the largest subject index to genealogy and local history periodical articles in the world.

The partnership will allow Findmypast and The Ontario Genealogical Society to offer wider access to these invaluable resources, providing many more genealogical connections and a more comprehensive experience to family historians all over the world. The announcement marks the latest step in Findmypast’s drive towards creating a healthy ecosystem of partnerships and building on their Canadian offerings.

These newly released records will be complemented by Findmypast’s unrivalled collection of British and Irish data, and those searching for Ontario ancestors can now reap the benefits of Findmypast’s wider collection of over eight billion world records.

Jen Baldwin, North America Data Licensing Manager at Findmypast, said; “The material created by the Ontario Genealogical Society volunteers is the foundation of genealogical research in the province. Findmypast is thrilled to be partnering with the society, and expanding our Canadian offerings across the board – vital records, conceptual records, and three new titles in PERSI. Researching in Canada has never been better!”

Gail Rivett, Chief Marketing Officer at Findmypast added; “As a proud Ontarian myself, I am particularly delighted to see Findmypast entering into partnership with the OGS. Today’s announcement marks the latest step in our efforts to expand Findmypast’s Canadian offerings and this new agreement will offer numerous benefits to both society members and Findmypast subscribers. Our aim is to provide customers with more and more family history resources to aid them in their research and, with the help of organisations such as OGS, we will continue to publish quality data for the benefit of family historians worldwide.”

Patti Mordasewicz, President of The Ontario Genealogical Society, added: “We are excited to announce this expansion in our continuing relationship with Findmypast. Our members will benefit from the digitization offered by Findmypast in this partnership, and the society will benefit from increased exposure through the worldwide reach of the Findmypast brand.”

About The Ontario Genealogical Society

Since its beginning in 1961, The Ontario Genealogical Society has been fulfilling its mission to encourage, bring together and assist those interested in the pursuit of family history while preserving our Ontario genealogical heritage. As the largest family history society in Canada, The Ontario Genealogical Society is at the forefront of genealogy in the Province of Ontario, through the provision of education, the pursuit of preservation, and the leadership in advocacy in matters of genealogical and historical protection.

OGS provides education through presentations in 30 Branches located across the Province and four Special Interest Groups operating in the virtual world, an annual conference attracting over 600 registrants, and monthly webinar presentations – all of which are open to public attendance. Through our Branch and Special Interest Group newsletters, The Society’s newsletter, NewsLeaf, our journal, Families, and our eWeekly Update, we keep our members and other subscribers informed of family history news and activities across the province, the country and the world.

The resources that our volunteers make available have helped thousands of genealogists from across the province and around the world to find answers to their family history questions, to break down brick walls, and to provide a community where information is shared, successes celebrated, and challenges overcome.

About Findmypast

Findmypast (previously DC Thomson Family History) is a British-owned world leader in online family history. It has an unrivalled record of online innovation in the field and 18 million registered users across its family of online brands, which includes Lives of the First World War, The British Newspaper Archive and Genes Reunited, amongst others.

Its lead brand, also called Findmypast, is a searchable online archive of over eight billion family history records, ranging from parish records and censuses to migration records, military collections, historical newspapers and lots more. For members around the world, the site is a crucial resource for building family trees and conducting detailed historical research.

In April 2003, Findmypast was the first online genealogy site to provide access to the complete birth, marriage, and death indexes for England & Wales, winning the Queen’s Award for Innovation. Since that time, the company has digitized records from across the globe, including major collections from Britain, Ireland, Australia, and the United States. Findmypast, in association with The National Archives, recently launched the 1939 Register, a record of 41 million lives on the eve of World War II.

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About the Author

Genealogy educator and author Thomas MacEntee has been researching his family history for more than 40 years and is the creator of Abundant Genealogy, Genealogy Bargains, DNA Bargains, The Genealogy Do-Over and numerous other web-based genealogy and family history properties.